News developments
Kuwait’s Public Authority for Manpower has issued an administrative decision allowing employees working in the public sector to transfer to the private sector. It includes transfers in areas which were previously banned. These are industry, agriculture, herding, fishing, cooperative societies and unions.
News developments
Five opposition Parliamentarians have submitted a draft foreign aid suspension law. It follows official reports saying the country is heading for an 81 billion Dinar deficit in the next 12 years. If approved all foreign aid, loans and deposits will be suspended for five years. Urgent relief aid for natural catastrophes and pandemics will not be affected. The law would also require the authorities to use all available means to ensure loans given to foreign countries are repaid.
News developments
A proposal to levy a tax on remittances by expatriates in Kuwait has resurfaced after a failed attempt at the previous parliament. The legislative Committee at the current Kuwaiti legislature, which was elected in December, has requested that a tax on transfers should be confined to those of migrant workers and that transfers involving Kuwaiti citizens should be exempt. A similar suggestion was vehemently rejected by the government in the previous parliament on constitutional and economic grounds. Migrant workers transfer about 4.2 billion Dinars annually from Kuwait, according to the Kuwait Central Bank.
News developments
The Women and Family Committee has approved a proposal to give permanent residence to children of Kuwaiti women who are married to non-Kuwaitis. They will also get priority in employment after Kuwaitis and be treated like Kuwaitis in Ministries and Government institutions. Additionally, the Head of the Committee has announced the Committee has called for centres to shelter women and children who are domestic violence victims. They also called for the approval of the Implementing Regulations to the Domestic Violence Law to be expedited.
News developments
Kuwait’s General Authority of Manpower has announced the workflow which should be followed by an employer if a domestic worker leaves to go to an unknown body or destination. The Authority said the employer should record a notice of absence of the employee in one of the service centres of the Interior Ministry. They should also visit the Department responsible for organising domestic worker recruitment in the Authority and file a complaint against paying for the tickets if the worker was found. The employer can also request compensation for their failure to complete the period. The Authority said if the worker doesn’t complete the first six months of recruitment the office has to refund the full amount.
News developments
The Deputy Head of Kuwait’s Public Authority of Manpower has announced a ban on expatriates over 60 has started being enforced. Under the ban, the work permits of these individuals with a pre-university degree cannot be renewed. They added it has not been reviewed or amended. They went on to say they did not know how many expatriates would be affected. However, the ban does not apply to expatriate university degree holders who are 70 or over.
News developments
According to local newspaper reports, the Kuwaiti Trade Ministry is monitoring six gold companies over money laundering concerns. It follows them experiencing rapid business growth, including in the number of branches they have compared to other companies in the sector. The growth was discovered in an audit by the Ministry of the companies’ activities for the last three years. If the Ministry confirm irregularities in their financial statements, they will submit a report to the Financial Investigation Unit to take the action it considers appropriate.
News developments
Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation has announced new drone rules have been approved. Under the rules, amateurs who fly drones and gliders cannot do so without permits from the Authority and other relevant authorities. When they are licensed, they will have to comply with the relevant safety rules. If they do not, they could be prosecuted.
News developments
Kuwait’s Council of Ministers has asked the Social Affairs Ministry to make all the necessary arrangements to implement the recommendation of the legal affairs committee regarding the conditions and rules for regulating the licensing of charities. The aim is to make sure legal requirements are observed and the monies given to these charities are not used in money laundering and terrorism funding. The committee has also recommended charities be prevented from taking a share of the donations.
News developments
According to local media reports, the first case for Coronavirus losses has been launched in Kuwait. The case involves a nursery who are requesting financial and moral compensation from the State for losses incurred as a result of anti-Coronavirus measures. They are relying on the principle that the State has to provide compensation for damage suffered by natural disasters. The nursery is not disputing the State’s authority to close nurseries. They claim the decision was arbitrary and have asked the court to delegate an expert to determine the value of the damages caused to their facilities as a result of this decision and the consequences of preventing them from collecting child registration fees for 2019 and 2020 and 2020 and 2021. Nurseries were closed down on 11 March and were meant to reopen in the fifth and final phase of the country’s unlocking. However, this phase has been postponed. 400 nurseries are estimated to have been affected by the Government decision. It is expected more nursery owners and similar businesses will join the litigation.
